Ever since its debut on the Chanel Cruise 2010-11 collection runway, the beauty interwebs have been buzzing about Chanel Riva. Even before we knew its name this baby blue nail polish has left us guessing.

Would this be another sellout hit like its pale polish predecessors, Jade and Nouvelle Vague? Will it include that stunning Chanel subtle shimmer? More importantly, will it have that “it” factor that makes certain Chanel polishes highly coveted and quickly copied (ie Khakis, Paradoxal, Jade)?

Read on to find out!

Formula & Application: Chanel nail polish is 4-Free (including Formaldehyde Resin). The bottle is square with a removable outer cap that reveals an inner round ribbed cap for use in application. The brush is round and similar in length to OPI’s with an average firmness that allows you to easily fan out the bristles and cover the nail bed.

While I am normally a fan of Chanel’s formula in terms of application, I was severely let down with Riva. I get that with lighter colors achieving two coat coverage is near impossible if you want the polish to flow and level itself but Riva is very sheer. It has a squishy jelly-ish texture which I normally love but it doesn’t build up to opaque fast enough.

Anyone who can get an opaque three coat application without bubbles is my hero. I originally applied four medium coats and obviously didn’t wait enough between applications because it was bubble city sweetheart. I always photograph my swatches dry so I had to start the process all over again, this time waiting a few minutes between layers. What a bother!

The color itself is light and airy, a wintry sky blue with a touch of murkiness. It’s not a traditional baby blue yet it doesn’t have that magical Chanel touch to make it unique and knock-off worthy. In the bottle Riva foreshadows that beloved Chanel shimmer but on the nail it’s virtually undetectable. The only time it rears its head is in direct light.

Close-up of Riva’s shimmer in direct light

In my hunt to find you a dupe or at least a good comparison I pulled Chanel Nouvelle Vague, Rescue Beauty Lounge Bikini Bottom, Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams, China Glaze Moody Blue and OPI What’s With The Cattitude?

I swatched Nouvelle Vague just to see how different they are and what a world of difference. NV is so rich, opaque and creamy. Because of the jelly texture I thought RBL Bikini Bottom might be a good match. SOPI Havana Dreams looked twin-like in the bottle, as did China Glaze Moody Blue. I could see right away that Cattitude would be too dark in comparison but since a few readers asked about it, I pulled it anyway.

I ended up using RBL Bikini Bottom and SOPI Havana Dreams for my comparison. While neither is a match, I feel like Riva is a blend of the two. Havana Dreams is more vivid and Bikini Bottom has a twinge of dirty green but combined they would probably be a good match for Riva. FYI Michèle from Lacquerizeddid a great comparison with China Glaze Moody Blue.

Bottom Line: As much as I have loved the majority of Chanel’s polishes this year I can’t get behind Riva. The formula issues combined with how ordinary the color is plus the jacked up price tag means it gets a “pass” from me.

Chanel Riva, part of the Côte d’Azur collection, is available now on Chanel.com and at Chanel Boutiques and Chanel Makeup Studios. The polish retails for $27/ea for a .4oz bottle.

What do you think of Riva? Does it look extraordinary enough to pick up a bottle? Those of you who already bought Riva, did it meet your expectations? Have you found a dead-on dupe for it?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Chanel. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

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I feel like it’s definitely not worth almost $30 for a baby blue with barely detectable shimmer. I’ll skip this round and save my money for Black Pearl, or another spring ’11 polish. Those seem more exciting.
- Liz

I had such high hopes for this polish. Your post on it is awesome – thank you so much. If it looked like the close up, I would buy it. That’s what I was hoping for – that subtle shimmer that shows through in the bootle. Boo! Well, at least I saved $27. I think I will get Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams or China Glaze Moody Blue though. Do you have a preference between those two?

I love Chanel colors and have been a big fan for years, but like you I cannot get behind this one! You do great reviews and I always appreciate your honesty. Personally, I think IMHO that Black Pearl is going to be the next Jade! There is nothing like that green on a true Black Pearl – to me, it’s totally mesmerizing!

Wow! Havana Dreams is an almost perfect match! Im going to order that one too. Thanks for all the comparisons. Your site is a such a wonderful source and I have been saving tons of money. Thanks again!!

Me too! I swear missing out on Bikini Bottom feels like its going to haunt me forever! Starfish Patrick and Square Pants just look so lonely on my shelf without their fellow collection mate beside them!

I love Riva, but then it’s virtually identical to one of my favorite polishes: Eyeko Pastel Polish. Texture of Eyeko is a little heavier than the Chanel, but you could always add a drop of polish thinner.

i just picked up riva today and got a polish change at the nail salon… for most, she managed to get a fairly opaque result with 2 coats and i only had to ask for an additional thin coat for some of the others. even then, no bubbles. but im not sure if thats only because i had them painted, instead of painting them on my own…

on my hand the colour appears to be more of a milky, pale blue, which makes it a more unique colour for me. i was surprised to see it seems so different from everyone’s pictures online….. it was definitely what i expected and i really like it

I’m so happy you posted this. I totally trust your recommendations,and I’ve been waiting to see what you say about this polish. I’ve been lemming like almost every other polish lover- and now you’ve thankfully saved me $27!

I wonder how this compares to that baby blue that Nina Ultra Pro put out last year…

I am just not feeling it. Thanks for the advice on the coverage. I have no plans on taking time to put 4 coats on. Along w/ the base AND top coat, no way. I’ll settle for one of the more opaque dupes. Maybe next Chanel colour …

I actually really like the color. I was fortunate to find it at a boutique early on, and while I totally agree about the application (3 thin coats for me which is definitely doable but not ideal) I really like the color and depth. Based on memory I would have thought Bikini Bottom was closer but obviously not. Thanks for the great review and comparisons.

Hm, I would love to see how this compares to other light blues. I only have a few Chanels and have been really impressed with the formula and the colors I own are fairly unique so like you said, the fact that Riva is such a common color that requires 3-4 coats and costs so much is a total turn-off. The formula on Color Club’s Take Me To Your Chateau is great, a one-coater! I wonder how it compares in color, though.

I really like the look of this color, even the more creme finish, oddly. I think it’s unusual for a winter color, too, and would like to wear it now and then transition the shade into spring. But I’ve also just been in a blue phase lately, so this (or the cheaper SOPI dupe, rather) is just my next blue candy.

Two coats were good for me. It has a milky texture that I love, and a grayish tint. A 3rd coat brings out more aqua, but not needed to be opaque. The shimmer isn’t pronounced but it adds depth.

The first coat was streaky and horrible, but it evened out beautifully with the second. I got bubbles on one hand when I tried to force the first coat to look better, but not a problem when I just applied the coats normally.

I would not rely just on this review when deciding. Lots of us in other forums have been very happy with Riva and 2-3 coats.

I think I would rather get SOPI havana nights and layer Savvy’s Glass slipper over it for that great shimmer sparkle much cheaper and I think the sparkle would show more… which is what caught my eye seeing the promos for Riva

I am so glad you did a comparison! I was all ready to go out and get the Chanel one. i went on a hunt for havana dreams like 2 weeks ago and it was gone at 2 different Sephoras. finally i found it at the third one, last bottle! there so similar i’ll pass on the Chanel one.

Sooo happy someone finally agrees with me that Riva just isn’t that great. I absolutely love the Chanel Cote D’Azur collection, but the nail polish seemed so over-hyped.

I ended up picking up two lipsticks instead and skipping the polish. It’s also $27 which I think is ridiculous. I have more interesting colors from other brands like Lippmann, RBL, OPI, Essie, & Zoya that are cheaper and more wow worthy.

I have never been impressed with the formulation of Chanel nail polish and it chips galore on me. I won’t spend money on something that doesn’t work! Thanks for the other color comparisons. I do think the soft blue-ish color is a nice transition from winter to spring.

I knew I had another Sopi that was close to Riva, and I found it: Lagoon-a-Beach. It’s also on the sheer side, but it’s the same color blinged out with sparkle.
Btw, I layered Azur over Riva and it’s amazing. Anyone who has Azur has to get Riva because they just work together so perfectly.

Thanks for the tip about Azur!! I have it and was thinking it would go really well with Riva but I wasn’t too sure, so I haven’t bought Riva yet. But next time I get something from Chanel, I’ll be sure to pick up Riva as well.

I love the color, but it’s a bit out of my price range. Do you think another possible dupe could be Nina Ultra Nail Pro “In A Tiff”? It’s a blue color with a little bit of shimmer in it and it’s at Sally’s for like $3-4.

I was on the waiting list for Riva, and when I got the call I rushed down to buy it. I just tried it on now and I sure am disappointed for all the reasons you list! I thought my application technique was just bad. What a waste of money that was. Can Riva be used over the top of anything? Probably not, I’m guessing!

I LOVE Riva, I think it suits my pasty Brit skin tone far more than NV (of course I still bought NV). I’ve always gone for three very thin coats of most Chanel colours and yes, this looked much better with a fourth but as they were thin coats I could apply each as soon as I’d finished the first and then topping off with seche vite I was touch dry and good to go in half an hour. Can’t wait for black pearl!

Hi
Just discovered your amazing site while searching for Chanel Riva which is due in ireland late January. I veer on the love/hate relationship with Chanel. Love some, hate others, had “Jade” hated the texture (and price and thought it was vastly over rated and over hyped) but loved “Nouvelle Vague”. Reading these comments makes me know now that I wasn’t going nuts over consistency and texture. As someone said sheer=ick and I agree. Thanks you have saved me a fortune.

I’ve got a hunch that Essie sweet talker has a dupey pigmentation compared to Riva, but with that unique shimmer everyone was hoping for. If you can do a side by side comparison, please let me know! I’d love to see it

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